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Re: Cargo Bars
Posted by Glenn Chambers (more from Glenn Chambers) on Tue, 6 Jun 2000 14:57:34
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00 

I'm either the only 9-5 wagon owner in the world this has happened to, or
there is a potential problem that Saab and Thule have to address in a
product redesign.

> Sorry, but I think this is the main truth of this story. Liberated
> mountain bikes at highway speeds can do far more damage than a few
> dents, especially if there are cars behind you. I don't see where Saab
> could be held responsible for this.
> Live and learn (and check the bolts before each trip!)

I believe you're half right about checking the bolts before each trip.
I'll accept my responsibility for that effective immediately following my
becoming aware of the problem. However, these cargo rails held for
numerous trips over 4-5 months. One could reasonably expect that the bars
would hold indefinitely, especially in the absence of ANY warnings about
re-tightening the bolts in the Saab instructions. Saab and the cargo bar
manufacturer must also be resposible to a degree. Read on. 

The fact is, the design of the Saab cargo bars (which I think are
manufactured for Saab by Thule) relies upon friction (or is the term
'traction'?) to stay mounted on the 9-5 wagon's cargo rails. You have to
hand-tighten what amounts to a glorified wing-nut in order for the
rubber-lined clamps to stay fixed on the rails. One's best judgement is
the only standard you have to go on, since no torque specs are provided.
You just tighten them until you can't tighten them anymore. 

Furthermore, (engineers please help me out here) the bars clamp onto the
9-5 wagon's rails perpendicular to the direction of travel. There must be
significant force working against this friction/traction what with the
hundreds of stops and starts one makes over time. 

For the record, I had three bikes mounted on top in Thule Big Mouth bike
trays, also purchased through the Saab catalog. I don't know our total
load, but we were well within the 100 kg rating! 

Perhaps this is a case of insufficient design with regard to the 9-5 wagon
bars/rails setup. In retrospect, perhaps a linchpin that keeps the front
bar firmly in place in addition to the clamps would be a good idea. (Saab,
are you listening?)

Obviously the mounts that you place on the bodies of cars without cargo
rails (i.e. non-wagons) are a proven design. I'm just not confident that
the design of mounts for the cargo bars that attach the 9-5 wagon's cargo
rails is the optimal one. 

I wondering if I should remount the bikes, reposition the whole rig as it
appeared after the mishap/failure, and take a picture. At the time of the
mishap, we were sufficiently rattled that remembering to photograph it was
pretty far down the list. 

v/r

Glenn Chambers
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